In the Mood to Share
Warm Up
▪ Have you ever used Airbnb before? Describe your experience.
▪ Would you feel comfortable sharing your personal belongings with a stranger? Explain
why or why not.
Today’s Article
With the rise of social media sites, people have been more inclined to share their life.
Whether it be the meals that they eat, the accomplishments they have achieved, or the sights they
have seen, sharing has become a part of our lives. Recently, this sharing has moved on to more than
just our personal experiences; people now share, well, everything. Airbnb is the first company that
5 most people think of when it comes to the sharing economy. Founded in 2008, the company
connected people with homes and spare rooms all across the world. Then came Uber and Lyft,
driving people to work, school, or home, decreasing the need for people to own a car. Next,
Taskrabbit hopped in to provide people with additional services. People here share their skills and
trades to help others with small jobs, or tasks. They often charge less money than what
10 professionals charge and often match your schedule instead of the other way around. The most
important aspect of the sharing economy is that it allowed people to earn extra income with the
resources they already had. Now, China is out to capitalize on this booming business.
The sharing economy has become especially popular in China. As one entrepreneur puts it,
“China is finally embracing its communist roots…The essence of communism: communal sharing.”
15 Over half of China’s population has admitted to using a sharing service at least once, and over the
last year, this economy earned over 4 trillion yuan ($502 billion) in revenue, with ride-sharing and
bike-sharing being the big money makers. Now, Chinese start-ups are looking to share anything and
everything, from umbrellas and mobile phone power banks to basketballs. But how many people
out there are willing to rent umbrellas and basketballs? Especially if it’s more cost-effective to buy
20 rather than rent in the long run. Herein lies China’s problem. China has a surplus of money to be
spent on investments and ideas, but there’s a shortage of good ideas. Venture capitalist firms
invested over $31 billion in 2016 with a healthy portion of that sum going towards sharing
companies. This, however, has led some people to call the sharing economy a bubble. And with
investors eager to pour millions into precarious business models, is the sharing bubble really about
25 to burst?
Vocabulary
Match each word with the appropriate definition.
1. inclined to (adj.) a. over a long period of time
2. spare (adj.) b. additional; extra
3. essence (n.) c. having more than what is needed; excess
4. in the long run (phr.) d. willing to do something
5. surplus (adj.) e. unstable
6. precarious (adj.) f. the most basic quality of an idea
Discussion
1. Are you active on social media sites? What do you like to share? Do you know someone who shares
too much of their life?
2. What is your opinion on the sharing economy? What are the positives? What are the negatives? Do
you think it is here to stay?
3. Would you be willing to sell your car and join a car-sharing program? Why or why not? What are the
benefits of not having a car? What are the negatives of joining a car-sharing program?
4. If you had a choice, would you rather buy an umbrella, or pay a small fee to borrow an umbrella
every time it rained? Explain your reasoning.
5. If you could offer up one of your skills or talents for freelance work, what would you do? Do you
think there is a market for your skills and talents?
6. What are some of things that people are sharing in your country? Has it been successful? What are
some things that you think your country should start sharing?
7. If you had money to invest in something for the long run, what would you invest in? Explain your
answer.
